Mechanical pencil



Jan. 20, 1948. B. w'. HANLE MECHANI CAL PENC IL Filed Feb. 17, 194 1 grail/47147161 s 0 I.

I! I L ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 20, 1948 MECHANICAL PENCIL Benjamin W. Hanle, Elizabeth, N. J., assignor to Eagle Pencil Company, a corporation of Delaware Application February 17, 1944, Serial No. 522,694

12 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to mechanical pencils and is more especially concerned with the mounting clip construction and associated parts thereof.

It is among the objects of the .invention to provide a pencil of the above type, the clip of which involves a plain metal stamping of minimum weight and cost which, in the assembled pencil, remains securely in place for effective performance of its function, though no rivet or other permanent mounting arrangement is used for affixing the same.

Another object of the invention is to provide a propulsion cap and clip assemblage for a mechanical pencil in which but few parts of extraordinarily inexpensive construction are required, and the assembly of which can be effected by unskilled labor without resort to tools, and almost instantly, to afford a secure entity not subject to inadvertent looseness or coming apart, by which the propulsion is reliably effected, and by which the clip is inherently affixed against coming off the shaft or the slightest displacement thereof longitudinally of the shaft.

In the accompanying drawings in which is shown one of various possible embodiments of the several featuresof the invention,

Fig. 1 isa side elevation of one embodiment of the pencil,

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view in longitudinal cross-section on a larger scale taken on line 22 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a view generally similar to Fig. 2 taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view on a still larger scale taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 5 is a dropped perspective View of the clip and feed propulsion elements.

Referring now to the drawings, the pencil is shown illustratively with a barrel or shaft l desirably of plastic having a tip end through which protrudes the lead I I mounted in a feed tube I2, which is rotated for propulsion, and desirably for repulsion and expulsion of the lead.

According to the present invention, from one of its aspects, the pencil is provided with a clip C, comprising a unitary sheet metal stamping which may be of inexpensive sprin steel. The clip includes a U-shaped mounting jaw having a pair of arms I 3 and I4, one being the root end of the clip arm, the other extending parallel thereto, and the two being preferably connected by a disk which is superposed over the eX- ltremity l6 of the barrel. Desirably, the end of the-barrel is-reduced in diameter .and the mount-' ing jaw l3|4 extends longitudinally of and straddles the reduced barrel end which' affords a shoulder IT for abutment of the ends ofthe jaw arms as shown. The end cap l8 which may desirably be of plastic is telescoped over the end of the barrel with a bearing fit thereon, and frictionally retains the mounting jaw I 3l 4 upon the barrel, the inner rim of said cap preferably encompassing a band IQ of the barrel immediately beyond the shoulder l1 and abutting the shoulder 20 between said band and the main lengths of the barrel. Desirably, as shown, the cap has a notch 2| at its rim which affords a gate for the protruding effective length of the clip, the rounded clipping end 22 of which resiliently engages the barrel. If desired, the protruding end of the cap may mount the usual eraser 23 which may be lodged in the conventional eraser cap 24 within socket 25.

While the clip as thus far described is applicable to pencil constructions generally, including non-mechanical pencils and front feed mechanical pencils, and may also be applicable to fountain pens, it finds its preferred application in rear feed mechanical pencils, and is more especially useful for popular-priced constructions, especially of the long-lead type.

There is shown merely in general outline part of amore or less conventional mechanical feed which by itself is no part of the present invention. The more or less conventional feed tube V I2 longitudinally slotted at 26 is lodged in a longitudinal axial bore 2'! of the barrel, which bore has a conventional helical feed groove 28. The internal mechanism for effecting propulsion, retraction and expulsion is not shown since it may be conventional and is not involved in the present invention.

According to the present invention the cap l8 which mounts and aflixes the mounting jaw of the clip in the manner previously described also serves to propel the feed tube for actuating the lead. To this end the feed tube is bifurcated at its extremity to provide extensions 29 and 30 that are reversely bent, as shown, to overlap the end section I5 of the clip in the particular embodiment shown and to afford clasping arms 29 and 30 longitudinally of the barrel, each with an inwardly embossed cross-rib 3| to snap into a corresponding peripheral groove 32 near the end of the barrel. The arms 29 and 30' are desirably of approximately the length of the arms of the clip mounting jaw l3, I 4. Desirably, the disk l5 of the mounting jaw has an inturned tongue 83 protrudinginto the slot .26of .thefeed fore through tongue 33 to turn feed tube I2 therewith.

It will be apparent from the foregoing, and especially by reference to Fig. 5, that the assembly of the parts is efiected with the utmost of facility. The feed tube l2 with the clip mounted thereover is simply introduced into the barrel bore, the clip of jaws I3, l4 and the. reversely bent-extensions 29', 3B telescoping over the end of the barrel. Thereupon the cap I8 is telescoped in position with its notch 2! straddling the clip to complete the assembly.

In use, the rotation of the cap l8 for manipulating the lead results in turning of the clip therewith which is, of course, desirable since it avoids the undue wear entailed were such clip always maintained in engagement with one spot on the barrel. The clip, however, as seen, is positively held against longitudinal displacement or looseness.

Aside from the various advantages above set forth, the clip of the present invention complies with orders from the War Production Board prohibiting the use of aluminum, brass or other nonferrous metals for pencil clips and allocating not more than 8 lbs. of steel for 1000 mechanical pencils.

In view of the advantages that inhere in the construction above set forth, its use by the assignee, especially for popular-priced pencils, is indicated for many years following the conclusion of present hostilities.

As many changes could be made in the above construction, and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope of the claims, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description, or shown in the accompanying drawings, shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a combined clip and operating head for a mechanical pencil or the rear feed type, the combination of a barrel having a slotted feed tube therein, a lead propulsion cap having a hearing fit upon the end of the barrel, a unitary sheet metal pencil clip having a U-shaped mounting jaw longitudinally straddling the end of the barrel, said cap being drivingly connected to said tube to rotate the same in unison therewith and serving to clamp the jaw end of said clip over the barrel end. v I

2. In a combined clip and operating head for a. mechanical pencil, the combination of a barrel having a unitary sheet metal clip, including a mounting jaw straddling the extremity of the barrel, a slotted lead feed tube extending through a central perforation in the end of said jaw, and drivingly connected with respect thereto, and a feed propulsion cap having a bearing fit over the extremity of said barrel and having a bore drivingly connected with respect to said jaw, .3. The combination recited in claim 2 in which 4 the mounting jaw of the clip has an end area to cover the extremity of the barrel and its central perforation has an inwardly extending tongue fitting into the slot of the feed tube and in which the rear extremity of the feed tube has means integral therewith to retain said tongue within the slot of the feed tube.

4. In a mechanical pencil, the combination of a barrel having a slotted feed tube lengthwise therethrough, said tube having unitary therewith relatively flat extensions at the rear end of 'the pencil and a removable cap having a bearing fit upon the barrel, said cap and tube extension having complementary conformations for driving the tube in unison with the cap.

5. In a mechanical pencil, the combination of a barrel, feed mechanism including a slotted feed tube extending axially of the barrel, said feed tube having bifurcated flat rear extremities reversely bent to extend longitudinaliy of the barrel along the rear end thereof, and a cap having a bearing fit upon the barrel and having a bore, said cap bore and said reversely bent tube ends having complementary conformations for turning of the said feed tube in unison with the cap.

6. In a combined clip and operating head for a mechanical pencil, the combination of a barrel having a slotted feed tube therethrough, said tube having one or more unitary relatively flat extensions engaging the end portion of the barrel, a unitary sheet metal clip having a mounting jaw extending over and interposed between the end of the barrel and the extension of the feed tube, and a cap having a bearing fit upon the barrel, clamping the jaw in place and having a connection with respect to the extension of the feed tube for driving the latter in unison therewith.

'7. In a combined clip and operating head for a mechanical pencil, the combination of a barrel, a slotted feed tube therethrough having an extension engaging the end of the barrel, a unitary sheet metal clip having a mounting jaw at the end of the barrel, and an end cap having a bearing fit upon the barrel, having a driving coaction with the extension of the feed tube and frictionally clamping the jaw in place.

8. In a combined clip and operating head for a mechanical pencil, the combination'of a barrel, a slotted feed tube therethrough having an extension engaging the end portion of the barrel, a unitary sheet metal clip having a mounting jaw at the end of the barrel, and an end cap having a bearing fit upon the barrel, having driving coaction with the extension of the feed tube and frictionally clamping the jaw in place, said clip also having driving coaction with said cap for turning in unison therewith.

9. Ina combined clip and operating head for a mechanical pencil, the combination of a. barrel, a unitary sheet metal clip having a mounting jaw portion engaging the end of said barrel, a slotted feed tube through said barrel having reversely bent extension ends spread over the end of said barrel, and an end cap having a bearing fit over the barrel and having driving connection both to the feed tube extensions and to said mounting jaw.

10. In a combined clip and operating head for a mechanical pencil, the combination of a barrel, a unitary sheet metal clip having a mounting jaw portion engaging the end'of said barrel, a slotted feed tube through said barrel having reversely bent extension ends spread over the end of said 5 barrel, said mounting jaw having a driving connection to the slot of said feed tube, and an end cap having a bearing fit upon said barrel drivingly connected to said feed tube.

11. In a combined clip and operating head for a mechanical pencil, the combination of a barrel, a unitary sheet metal clip having a U- shaped mounting jaw straddling the end of said barrel, a slotted feed tube through said barrel having its extremity extended through a hole in said jaw, bifurcated and reversely bent longitudinally over the end of said barrel, the jaw having a positioning tongue extending into the slot of said feed tube to maintain the sides of said jaw substantially midway between the reversely bent ends of said feed tube, and a cap having a bearing fit upon the barrel embracing the mounting jaw of the clip and the reversely bent ends of said feed tube and pressin he clip protrudes.

BENJAMIN W. HANLE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Keeran et a1 Aug. 22, 1922 

